A cheerful little poll

[tamaranth]

For various reasons (some personal, others not) I have been thinking about pain. And thinking how illogical some of my reactions to pain actually are.



[Poll #1473830]

Comments

[frostfox.livejournal.com]

I used to have monthly agony until the doc started me on mefenamic acid.
I have a high tolerance for sharp pain (I routinely have fillings without anesthetic and the period cramps were agonizing) but I have a low tolerance for nagging pain such as toothache or back ache.

FF

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

mefenamic acid is a wondrous thing! I wish they'd had it when I was a teenager.

Interesting distinction you make between sharp and nagging pain: I think the stuff that causes me most distress is on the fuzzy line between the two, like migraine / period cramps), the stuff that hurts constantly but only spikes occasionally.

[frostfox.livejournal.com]

Yes, think you are right.
I think that third sort of pain is very draining.

FF

[fjm.livejournal.com]

My knees. I stood too long today.

[lj_stowaway]

I answered for nagging pain, since that's what I'm most familiar with. Sharp pain is mercifully rare, but the nagging stuff is a constant, it just varies in intensity (number of joints that are cranky and how bad they are) from day to day.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

I seem to be onto a good, i.e. less than monthly thing thanks to Mirena (yeah, I know--I was lucky), gym, and the whiplash letting up.
Pain does not make me cold, but cold can make me hurt--it's a neck hunching tension thing.
Avoidance painkillers only before known triggers like a long car journey.
I'm not sure it changes my personality so much as brings out my nastier side.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

Suspect I'd be better if I was exercising more. But part of what brought on this poll was after-effects of Pilates class. Which dammit I have paid in advance for!

If I know something is liable to hurt I might take painkillers, or I might just take something that'll act as a relaxant -- that way the pain can't get as much of a grip. Why yes, I am more than happy to take strong drink before 6pm.

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

I think I disassociate from the pain pretty well, so I don't get that many gasps/cries/sick feelings - it's more like getting to the office biscuit barrel to find someone's had the last one so you can't have a biscuit today. I think it does take its toll from my mental capacity and personality, but I only tend to notice this once they've restored themselves.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

disassociation is intriguing: tell me how! (Am extremely relieved that you have the knack of it though, given how often back is bad.)

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Ongoing pains makes me feel wretched. That's the word that sums it up for me.

[ajshepherd.livejournal.com]

Severe pain, like a bad toothache for example, just makes me feel hot and completely out of it.

Stuff like stiff shoulders, or sore ankles from having done a lot of walking, just tends to me me go 'ow ow ow' and work it off.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Stiff shoulders I can deal with - that's a standard operating criterion if you're me. But concrete shoulders leading to seized neck leading to ridges of tension over my entire scalp, however, is a whole other level of ghastliness. Once the tension got so bad that it put my jaw out of alignment. Perhaps learning to relax might be a good idea...

[tvillingar.livejournal.com]

I left blank the part where you ask if pain makes one feel cold: for me, this depends on the pain. Sometimes I'm covered in cold sweat and shaking and sometimes I feel like I could strip all my clothes off and I'd still be hot.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

My shoulders. Back when I was still a slave to the university, I had severe neck, shoulder and head pain 5 days out of 7, and lived on ibuprofen. These days, after much osteopathy and escape from the captors, it's much reduced. But the severest form can wreck me for several days.

[(Anonymous)]

I answered for a recent broken hip and resulting surgery. Most of of the answers might apply to other causes of pain too, such as walking with a damaged knee.

[dharma-slut.livejournal.com]

The pain that debilitates me the most is headache, and not even the headaches with the fancy names...

With things like broken arms and such, I can carry on without too much difficulty. And aches like minor muscle cramps or bruises are kinda... nice. In a way. When they've faded. Like skunk odor a long way away.

I don't recall feeling cold as a result of pain, but then it's been so hot around here I don't remember feeling cold anyways.

[ivory-goddess.livejournal.com]

For all my answers, it's mostly 'can' - eg pain can make me feel tired, physically and mentally, but it depends on the severity.

As to the final question, currently its several times a day (short stabbing pains) but until recently it was less than monthly, and I hope it will go back to that, so it averages out as weekly over a long period. (Before the hormones it was lengthy bouts of dull pain with instances of stabbing, several times a week, so this is a defninite improvement)